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Researchers Uncover Prehistoric Hunting Site at Bed of Lake Huron

Underwater archeologists have discovered most complex prehistoric hunting site, called as Drop 45 Drive Lane, below the waters of Lake Huron. They discovered the site in the Great Lakes at depth of 121 feet and at distance of about 35 miles south of Alpena, Michigan.

Along with the hunting site, researchers have also found some features which they suspect are the remains of hunting pits, camps and caribou drive lanes. They believe those features to be long rows of rocks used to channel caribou into ambushes.

About 9,000 years ago, the paleolithic era would have been area of dry land in a corridor connecting Michigan to Southern Ontario. John O'Shea, the Emerson F. Greenman Prof. of Anthropological Archaeology at the University of Michigan, said analysis of site suggests that late Paleoindian/Early Archaic caribou hunters used to follow distinct seasonal approaches for caribou-hunting.

Researchers said that the larger size and multiple parts of the complex drive lanes illustrates that larger groups of prehistoric people were involved in hunting. They believe that prehistoric people used to gather for the hunt on important social and economical occasion.

For the first time we have been able to identify such structures at the bottom of the lake. "Scientifically, it's important because the entire ancient landscape has been preserved and has not been modified by farming or modern development", said John.